The Fence Post

A Helpful Overview for All Styles of Woven Wire Fence

This is our favorite video for figuring out how to stretch your fence tight. This video shows you how to make and use a homemade fence stretcher you can use to pull your fence tight. In the video, 2" x 4" galvanized welded wire mesh is being installed. But this type of stretcher can be used for all styles of woven wire fence as well. Steel stretcher bars are also available to buy, if you don't want to make your own.

It is important to have a level pull uniformly across the height of the fence to avoid distorting the mesh. The amount of tension is determined by the type of mesh. Welded wire fencing material cannot be tightened as much as woven wire meshes, such as field fence, horse fence, deer and wildlife fence.

And don't forget to bring along a helper like Little Bit!

They seem similar...

Are you looking for galvanized welded wire fence? Do you know you have a choice? There are two types of galvanized welded wire fencing materials:

• GBW (Galvanized Before Weld)
• GAW (Galvanized After Weld)

Visually they appear very similar. But taking a closer look, you can see the difference. And after they have been installed, the difference becomes more remarkable with the passage of time. Which one is a better value, longer lasting, more readily available?

Checking for the burn--

 GBW

As its name implies, Galvanized Before Weld fencing material is made as follows: Galvanized wire is fed into the welder. At the weld point where the wires cross, the zinc is burned away during the welding process. Sometimes you can actually see the burn (as in the picture above). This is the most obvious way to differentiate between GBW and GAW wire mesh. Look for the burn. Of course, when this happens, the wire is left unprotected from rust and corrosion. And this is the spot in the wire mesh that collects water when it gets wet. The water and any corrosive entities it contains will hang out in the intersection, slowly eating away the steel.

With So Many Uses

GBW welded wire mesh is a utilitarian, readily available generic product. It comes in a wide variety of different gauges, mesh sizes, and roll sizes. This type of mesh and fencing material has many different uses. If you want an inexpensive mesh with a moderate lifetime expectancy, GBW is the ideal choice. For a mesh with impressive longevity, please read on--

Now, turning to...

GAW

Galvanized After Weld wire mesh is a superior, higher quality, longer lasting product. After being welded, the mesh is drawn through a bath of molten zinc. The wire intersections are thoroughly sealed and protected from exposure to environmental sources of corrosion and rust. As seen in the above picture, corrosive elements have no access to the wire or weld points. The heavy layer of zinc will protect the underlying wire for years, even when exposed to harmful chemicals and other environmental stressors.

Savings on Repairs and Replacement

GAW fencing materials are far superior to GBW. And they will last years longer than GBW. This is why they are the perfect choice to consider when you want a galvanized welded wire fence. Your initial investment cost is higher. But that is more than offset by the extended lifetime of the wire. Not only will you get years of use from your fence. But also you will save on the expenses of repairs and replacement. Why go through those frustrations and hassles?

The Right Wire

GAW meshes are the best choice for animal cages as well. The heavy galvanizing will stand up to corrosion from feces and urine. The need for cage replacement will be diminished greatly. Higher initial cost of a quality product will ultimately save you money.

With An Important Difference

In general, GAW products are harder to find. There are few retail stores that sell them, partly due to their greater expense. But the demand for these higher quality welded wire fencing materials is not very strong. That's because most people do not know about Galvanized After Weld and that there is a huge difference.

When people say the wire is galvanized, they are usually thinking about the generic GBW products. GAW never comes to mind, even though they might prefer to buy a higher quality product. The assumption is made that since the wire is galvanized, it will last for years. However, if they only knew, they could purchase something far better that would satisfy them for a lot longer.

So what do you think? Do you have any projects where using a higher quality product makes sense to you? Is quality more important to you than price?

Yes! You Can Still Buy American-made Fencing

Nowadays, it seems like everything is made in China or some other country. While this may be true for a lot of products, it is not true for all fence products. There are a lot of fence products still made with pride and exceptional quality in the great US of A! In fact, most fence products are still available from domestic manufacturers.

• GBW, GAW, and Vinyl Coated welded wire fencing materials are all available from US manufacturers such as Riverdale Mills (Northbridge, MA) and C.E. Shepherd (Houston, TX).                                      
• Bekaert Corp. manufactures all types of low carbon and high tensile field fence, horse fence, sheep & goat fence, and deer and wildlife fence in galvanized, zinc aluminum, and black paint over ZA finishes.
  
• Stay-Tuff Fence Manufacturing produces high tensile deer & wildlife fence, field fence, horse fence, goat fence, and barbed wire in New Braunfels, Texas.
  
• Oklahoma Steel makes a wide variety of field fence, barbed wire, deer and wildlife fence, agriculture panels, horse fence, and GBW welded wire in Madill, OK, and Centerville, IA.
• Franklin Steel produces top-quality steel painted and galvanized studded T fence posts in Franklin, PA.
  

These companies employ hard-working, tax-paying Americans! American-made products are superior in quality and are surprisingly price competitive versus imported products. American-made products provide an overall better value than lesser quality imports because the fence will last many years longer and will not need to be replaced. Just think of the hassle, expense, and inconvenience you will avoid! Just like the old saying “You get what you pay for.”

>You may be aware of “The Buy American Act” which restricts the purchase of supplies that are not domestic end products. For manufactured end products, the Buy American Act uses a two-part test to define a domestic end product.

1. The product must be manufactured in the United States; and
2. The cost of domestic components must exceed 50 percent of the cost of all the components.

The Buy American Act applies to all U.S. Federal government agency purchases of goods valued over the micro-purchase threshold but does not apply to services. Under the Act, all goods for public use (articles, materials, or supplies) must be produced in the U.S., and manufactured items must be manufactured in the U.S. from U.S. materials. Many states and municipalities include similar geographic requirements in their procurement legislation.

If quality and supporting America are important to you, please consider buying products made in the USA the next time you need fencing. Sure you may pay a little more, and you may have to dig a little deeper to find products made in the USA since most retailers and discount online sellers primarily sell imported products. But the effort and added costs are well worth it in the long run. Go USA!

Which One Shall I Choose?

There are many different wire fence products available from which to choose. And it can be difficult to know which one to buy. One of the decisions you will need to make is whether you want a galvanized fence or a mesh that is vinyl coated.

Some differences between galvanized and vinyl coated wire mesh and fence?

Galvanized fences and meshes are either welded or woven. There are Galvanized Before Weld or Weave (GBW) and Galvanized After Weld or Weave (GAW) meshes. The difference between these two types is explained in our blog "Galvanized Before vs Galvanized After Mesh & Fence". The most common and most readily available fence meshes are GBW. These are the commodity meshes sold by all the big box stores. GAW products are:

• harder to find
• they are higher quality
• more expensive 
• they will last years longer

Both share the same characteristic of having a galvanized finish. But GAW meshes are far superior.

Vinyl Coated (VC) fences are also available in either welded or woven meshes. They are different from galvanized products because they have a double layer of protection from rust and corrosion - vinyl coating over previously galvanized wire. This gives these meshes an even longer life. The highest quality and longest lasting products with the best rust protection are those that feature vinyl coating on top of GAW wire. These are the meshes used in such things as lobster pots and crawfish traps.

Why are vinyl coated meshes more expensive?

The cost of the vinyl applied to the wire adds to the cost of the final product. Additional handling and processing during the manufacturing process also add to the cost.

And vinyl coated fence, is it really worth the extra expense?                                                              Meshes and fences that have been vinyl coated have the longest lifetime due to the extra protection they have against rust and corrosion.

What about how it looks?

They are also more aesthetically pleasing. The black and green color stand out less than the brighter galvanized finish. In fact, black mesh tends to disappear into the background, becoming virtually invisible. You can see whatever is on the other side of the fence more clearly.

It is also important to remember that although the initial cost of a vinyl coated fence is higher, it may ultimately be less expensive. Don't forget the cost and aggravation of needing to replace a product with a shorter lifetime.

The choice between galvanized and vinyl coated fence

Think about how long you want the fence to last. How frequently will you want to replace it? If you want a fence that will last a long time and maintain its nice appearance, go with the vinyl coated mesh. If you only need the fence to last a few years, use a GBW mesh.

Again, consider aesthetics--

Think about how you want the fence to look. If the fence will be in a prominent place and you want it to look attractive, use a vinyl coated mesh. If the fence will be less visible and you don't mind a utilitarian appearance, use a GBW mesh. You can also use a GAW mesh if you want the fence to last longer.

And if you need further clarification, please don't hesitate to call us and ask questions--(866) 328-5018